Royal Officials of England have confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will be knighted for his contributions to Motorsports as of today. The ceremony is set to be held on Wednesday, but no details have been confirmed as to who will perform the procedure.
The news comes a day after Hamilton lost out on a record-breaking 8th F1 Championship to Max Verstappen. The two drivers were locked in a battle till the very end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But ultimately, the Dutchman came out on top to win his first F1 Championship.
What Happened to Lewis Hamilton in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
In the aftermath of the race, Mercedes launched two appeals to the board but both of them were rejected. The first was for Verstappen overtaking under a safety car, and the second was for a breach of rules over race restarts.
Toto Wolff was fuming over race director Michael Masi over his last-minute decision to let lapped cars pass the safety car. This presented Verstappen with the perfect opportunity to challenge Hamilton and battle it out in the final lap of the season.
Sir Lewis Hamilton From Wednesday
After receiving his MBE in 2009, Hamilton will be the fourth ever driver to be knighted. The other F1 drivers to be knighted are Sir Jackie Stewart in 2001, Sir Stirling Moss in 2000 and Sir Jack Brabham in 1979.
Despite Hamilton not being included in BBC’s list of the Sports Personality of the Year, the seven-time world champion will be given a great honour in recognition of his brilliance in F1.
